Patient Information:
Parathyroid Surgery Instructions

by Dr. Francis Moore

1.		If you are using Fosamax, please stop three weeks prior to surgery.
2.		No alcohol or intoxicating drugs should be taken for one week before surgery.
3.		Please inform your surgeon of any signs of a cold, infection or fever that appear before surgery.
4.		Do not eat or drink anything after midnight the day before your surgery.
5.		If you take any prescription medications on a daily basis, these may be taken with a small sip of water on the morning of your surgery.

1.		Arrive as instructed by Dr. Moore's office.
2.		In the PRE -Op area:
		a)	An intravenous (IV) will be started
		b)	You will meet with the anesthesiologist
		c)	You will be given sedation and then brought to the operating room and put to sleep for surgery.

1.		You will wake up in the recovery room where you will stay until you are ready to be transferred to the Day Surgery Recovery Area or to your hospital room.
2.		You will have a dressing over your neck and if a full parathyroid exploration is performed, you will have a small drain (Jackson-Pratt) in the mid portion of your incision which is removed 24 hours after the operation.
3.		The incision is closed with sutures that dissolve. The top layer of your incision is covered with tape (steri-strips).
4.		Please ask for pain medication if you are in pain.
5.		You will continue with intravenous fluids until you are taking adequate fluids by mouth.
6.		Your diet will be advanced from liquids to solid food as you tolerate.
7.		If your surgery was performed on a day surgical basis and once Dr. Moore and the anesthesiologist feel you are recovered from your procedure, you may return home.

1.		If it was necessary to perform a full parathyroid exploration, you will have a calcium level drawn the morning of your discharge.
2.		The drain in your incision will be removed.
3.		You will be discharged home.

Range of Motion Neck Exercises:
Flex your head forward and laterally. Turn your head from side to side. These exercises should be done four times/day for ten minutes. Continue with the exercises until your neck mobility is back to normal.

You may drive once your neck mobility is back to normal and you are not on pain medication.